6 Replies Latest reply: Apr 22, 2014 11:07 AM by SLTyPete RSS

    Any ideas for fuzzing out on-screen date/time?

    SLTyPete Community Member

      I'm digitizing some precious family videos for a friend.

       

      Sadly, in 99% of them they left the on-screen date/time stamp turned on and it's quite distracting, covering about 10% vertical/ 25% horizontal near the lower left corner of the picture. (Typical solid white blocky text w/ black edges)

       

      I'm curious if anyone has ideas and/or experience with reducing the visibility of such artifacts.

        • 1. Re: Any ideas for fuzzing out on-screen date/time?
          Bill Hunt CommunityMVP

          Well, one could use a Track Matte, to restrict a heavy Gaussian Blur to that imprinted data only, but I am not sure that it would look any better. I would try it with a short Clip, to see if it is better, or not.

           

          Duplicate the Clip, placing it on Video Track 2, above the original. Apply a Gaussian Blur, and experiment with the amount of Blur. Then, create a Mask (this can be done in Titler), a Track Matte, to show ONLY the area of the Blurred Time/Date stamp, and place that on Video Track 3. Apply the Track Matte Key Effect to the Blurred duplicate Clip, linking that to the Mask on Video Track 3. Render that part of the Timeline, and view. Note: one can soften the edges of the Mask by applying a Blur to that, as well.

           

          Good luck, and I hope that IS better.

           

          Hunt

          • 2. Re: Any ideas for fuzzing out on-screen date/time?
            JSS1138 CommunityMVP

            I think by trying to cover it up, you may only draw more attention to it.  (What's that blacked out spot, Uncle Pete?)

            • 3. Re: Any ideas for fuzzing out on-screen date/time?
              Bill Hunt CommunityMVP

              Jim gave me an idea, but its effort might negate the effect. Much will depend on where the Date/Time is, and how the background changes in the Video, in that location.

               

              You could create a Title with a Shape, say a Rounded Rectangle, just larger than the Date/Time. Create this with a solid Fill color, and no Stroke. Then, for the color of the Fill, use the Eyedropper to sample a color from the background that is fairly common in that background.

               

              As the background colors change in the Clip(s), you could do a New Title Based On the original one, but use the Eyedropper to sample the new color. You might have to watch, thinking about the number of Titles needed, and might then scrap this idea.

               

              You could also create that Rounded Rectangle just a bit larger than the Date/Time stamp, and all a Blur to the Title to soften the Shape. It would appear like a colored blob, of sorts, but if the colors are similar to those in the background, it might cover things pretty well.

               

              Just thinking here, but probably creating more work for you.

               

              Good luck,

               

              Hunt

              • 4. Re: Any ideas for fuzzing out on-screen date/time?
                SLTyPete Community Member

                Interesting ideas... I'll try a few things and keep pondering.

                 

                As I've thought about it today, my question has morphed a bit.

                 

                You know how in Ps there's a "healing brush" tool that can hide all kinds of things?

                 

                Is there anything similar that could be created in Pr?

                 

                Alternatively, I've seen tools that can hide foreground objects based on tracking background motions. Sounds like a ton of work from what I've seen, but in theory this challenge ought to be a bit simpler because the foreground object has easily known static attributes.

                • 5. Re: Any ideas for fuzzing out on-screen date/time?
                  Bill Hunt CommunityMVP

                  There is a Clone Tool in After Effects, that functions along the lines of the one in Ps. That could get you close to the Healing Brush (similar, but with differences). One could also Rotoscope the Video, Frame-by-Frame in Ps, and if you have Ps-Extended, up to CS6, or CS6, that process might not be ALL that difficult, as Ps-Extended, and Ps CS6 can handle Video, up to a point.

                   

                  Not having PrPro CC, I cannot tell you if a Clone Tool (or similar) has been added, but others certainly can.

                   

                  Along the lines of some of the treatments offered above, a Title on an appropriate Shape, using some similar colors, so as to not stand out that much, could also do the "trick," say by adding the subject's name, or perhaps the place. However, that would need to be subtle, or it would cause as much attention, as the Date/Time stamp does.

                   

                  Good luck,

                   

                  Hunt

                  • 6. Re: Any ideas for fuzzing out on-screen date/time?
                    SLTyPete Community Member

                    I thought I'd report back.

                     

                    Interesting how the practical reality can overwhelm the theoretical

                     

                    It turns out one factor far outweighed all others: 100% of this video was shot by an unsteady hand. Therefore, I focused my energy on reducing the shaking.

                     

                    After trying both built-in effects and trial versions of several commercial tools, I settled on one that's FAR more powerful than all the rest, and happens to be free. Unfortunately, it also does not work inside of Adobe tools (YES that's a hint to someone inside )... DeShaker works with VirtualDub. It is smart in scene detection, motion smoothing, and extending the edges of the frame. It's reasonably fast. It did wonders.

                     

                    Once the content was smoothed, the date/time stamp became a curiousity at most:

                    - sometimes the necessary zoom and/or smoothing simply caused the timestamp to disappear

                    - sometimes it's there but so jumpy your eye ignores it. Kinda quirky-fun for my friends' family... they actually didn't mind because they remembered how jumpy the original was, and are in awe how smooth it is now

                     

                    :-D